The Blue Eagle and the Raven Nightingale
by syaoran no hime
Summary: Tomoyo returns to Tomoeda after five years and finds everything changed. Little does she know that her own life would take a turn too, when she meets her fiance...ExT
1. Default Chapter

The lush green trees, the flowers dotting the brick sidewalk, and the fresh morning Tomoeda breeze. All of these brought seventeen-year-old Daidouji Tomoyo mixed emotions, topped by nostalgia.

After five years of staying in Europe with her mother ever since their toy company has expanded operations globally, she was finally back home, in the warm, familiar arms of the town of Tomoeda.

_It feels so good._

"I'm glad that you and Aunt Sonomi have decided to stay here for good," said Kinomoto Sakura in her usual genkiness. "Ever since onii-chan and Yukito moved to Tokyo to work, it's been kind of lonely here."

Kero-chan, remaining unchanged in its cute yellow mini-lion form, nodded as it bit on the strawberry cake Tomoyo brought home for them. "But she'll be leaving us soon too. She'll be marrying that brat next year."

Tomoyo arched a brow. "So soon? Why is it that I feel history is repeating itself?" she asked, recalling her Aunt Nadeshiko, Sakura's dear mother.

Her cousin blushed and looked down. "Papa understands. He told me that true love comes once in a lifetime only, and that I mustn't let my happiness get away."

"But if fate thinks you two are meant for each other, then you guys can wait! Gosh, you guys would just be turning 18!" she argued.

"We're in love," said Sakura softly, her emerald eyes shining with mute happiness.

"I know," she agreed, trying to keep the bitterness off her voice. She knew and had accepted that she would eventually lose her beloved cherryblossom to the little wolf, but she didn't expect it so soon!

So selfish… 

_If I didn't move to Europe, I could have done something to not let this happen!_

Sakura started to speak again. "Tomoyo-chan, are you going back to school?"

She was grateful for the change of topic. "Yes, and as a matter of fact, I have already been accepted in the university. I'm taking up a major in Music."

"Maybe you'll have Papa as one of your professors!"

"That would be nice. At least I know I won't fail in at least _one_ subject."

After some more hours, Tomoyo stood up. "I have to go home. I promised my mother that I'll cook dinner especially for her. She's having a special guest over, I think."

"Aw, but we haven't even chatted decently yet! You didn't even tell me about your love life!" complained Sakura.

She laughed. "What you said doesn't exist in my vocabulary."

"You didn't have any relationships with any guy, even just a special friendship kind?" pressed her cousin.

"I was too busy helping my mom out with the toy company operation." She gave her cousin an affectionate peck. "See you tomorrow!"

"Take care, Tomoyo-chan!" The girl waved at her as she rode into her limousine. 

Sakura sighed as she watched her cousin whisked off.

Just then Kero appeared, scratching its head. "You know, Sakura? I swear, she sounded so bitter while talking about your engagement to the brat."

The girl laughed. "Tomoyo-chan, _bitter_? Nice one." She turned to the road. "I can never imagine Tomoyo-chan feeling that way. I can always say if she's feeling bad."

"Five years can do a lot to a person."

"Well…" Sakura looked thoughtful, then her eyes lit up. "I know!"

Kero eyed her distrustfully. "You, _thinking_? OK, where's the real Sakura?"

"Oh, shut up! I just realized that maybe, Tomoyo-chan needs someone to make her happy too, just the way Li-kun does to me." Sakura clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm a genius!"

Kero turned pensive. _Oh Sakura, if you only know that the person you are looking for is actually yourself._

"But the question is…who will I get?" Sakura tipped her chin, thinking.

"Mom, I'm home! Sorry if I went home too late. The traffic was awful!" she narrated as she walked on the marble floor of the Daidouji receiving room. She was expecting that her mother could hear her- Sonomi was always in the recliner, enjoying her get-away from her paperworks back in the office.

When she got no reply, she called on one of her maids.

"Miss Tomoyo, the Madam went out to see her friend. It's an emergency. But she was waiting for you ages ago. She told us that once you arrive, you take care of her guest."

She nodded. Back in Europe, she had learned almost everything a gracious and accommodating hostess must know. In fact, her mother often makes her the hostess of the company parties, if only for her talent and her beauty as a whole. Her mother always tells her that she attracts a lot of potential customers for the company.

"Please tell the guest that I'll be down in a minute. I will just get dressed properly." With that, she headed for the grand staircase and took it two steps at a time.

Ten minutes later, Tomoyo went down the stairs gracefully, dressed in a sleeveless cotton shirt accented by a small white ribbon and a pair of black silk trousers. Black pumps and pearl earrings completed her simple but classy look.

She fluffed her hair for the last time, making sure that her tresses would fall down behind her shoulders naturally, but still with artful elegance. She sat down the comfy chair of the receiving room. No one was there.

She called the maid again.

"Ms. Tomoyo, I can't find the guest," stammered the maid. "One minute he was just tinkling with the piano keys and the next minute, he vanished."

"People just don't vanish," she said impatiently. The last thing she wanted was for that guest to give her mother a negative feedback about how she treats guests. Fuming, she decided to look for the guest herself.

She took a look at the garage and immediately noticed the black sports car that she knew didn't belong to her mother's collection of vintage cars. She was sure that the guest was still here.

Did he get lost while looking for a lavatory or something? She passed by the garden, sighing. "Where could that guest have gone to?" She turned to the left and noticed a pair of broad shoulders facing its back on her. He was touching the roses and orchids her mother was fond of taking care of. 

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered, despite herself. 

He slowly turned to her, his cerulean eyes boring into her amethyst ones. "I've been waiting for more than thirty minutes already," he snapped coolly.

Her eyes widened. _Brute!_ She reminded herself that this man was her mother's guest, and therefore must be treated with respect. "I'm sorry," she said instead. "The traffic was terrible."

"Traffic jam will always be the inseparable partner of the road," he reprimanded. "What a flimsy excuse."

"I already apologized, Mister. What else could you possibly want?" she asked, fighting off the urge to strangle somebody, namely the rude man in front of her now.

He was about to say something when he looked like he changed his mind. "So Daidouji-san," he said instead, startling her upon the mention of her name. "Did your mother tell you already why I am here?"

"Obviously not. I don't even know you," she said, trying to contain her calm. "But do enlighten me, please."

"My pleasure," he said mockingly. "She wants you to meet the fiancé she chose for you."

"F-Fiancé?" she echoed, her forehead creasing.

"He's standing right in front of you already," he said. "Don't you think it's ill-mannered of you not to even greet him anything at all?"

"Y-You're lying! You are lying, Mr. Stranger!" she cried. "Mom would never do that!"

"Call her then." He took out his cel from his pocket and handed it to her. Trembling, she took the phone just as the boy turned his attention back to the plants, as if they were more interesting than the shock she was experiencing there.

Her mother answered in the fourth hello. She immediately exploded. "Mom, what is this lunatic saying?!! Mom, would you believe that he's telling me that you asked him to be my fiancé?"

Her mouth dropped open when she heard her mother confirm what she was told. Anger started to boil within her. "Why didn't you tell me??!!"

Her mother sounded unaffected by the edge in her frantic voice. "He'll do you good, and he can entertain you and keep your mind off Sakura's wedding."

"Mom…" Her voice trailed off. Her mother must have known what she was going through after the news about Sakura's marriage was broken. Heck, Daidouji Sonomi must have known that earlier than she did! "I don't need anybody else…" she insisted, her voice calmer.

"I've been through this time already way before. Your father was my only solace when I lost Nadeshiko."

"I'm not you! I'm not affected at all. I'm happy for Sakura, really I am!" she insisted. "I don't need a stranger for a fiancé, or anyone else for that matter. You're overstating the situation, Mother."

"Why don't you try being in his company even for a while? You'll find that you might be enjoying yourself soon. Bye Dear! Have fun!"

"Mom!"

_Click._

"Bull!" Tomoyo threw the phone on the ground, near to tears. She couldn't believe that her own mother would manipulate her like this!

"That was my cel, mind you," he said dryly.

Her blazing eyes turned to him. "I can't believe you agreed to do this, Mister! You are now engaged to a girl you don't know!"

"I know you well enough, Daidouji-san," he said calmly.

Her brows furrowed. There he goes again, calling her by her name. Obviously, it was a one-sided situation, with her put in a not so pleasant side. She didn't know who he was – not a single idea about him, and here he was, knowing almost everything about her. It wasn't fair at all.

"Besides, the pay is good," he said.

"Of course," she nodded sarcastically. No man in his right mind would get engaged to a girl he didn't know without a valid reason…and amount.

But there was something about him that felt so familiar…as if they had already met before. Although the face before him looked more haggard and mature, there was something about that pair of bored cerulean eyes that hit something within her.

"The people call me 'Eagle', but if you must know my name…" He held out his hand to her. "I'm Hiiragizawa Eriol."

She did a double take.

**Tsuzuku**

_Me sleepy. o see ya next chapter!_


	2. 2

No, Choco, I'm not an Atenean. ^^;; Proud STI stude ito! ^^ 

It was already the next day when Tomoyo woke up. She sat up, recollecting her thoughts. Then she remembered.

The pitiful sleep she had last night didn't erase her awful memories of yesterday – the day she received the heartbreaking news of Sakura's marriage fast approaching _and_ when she met her fiancé, no other than her former elementary classmate, Hiiragizawa Eriol.

The image of the eleven-year-old good-natured and enigmatic London exchange student who played the perfect masquerade back when Sakura was still into her card capturing affairs invaded her mind unmercifully. He, who looked every inch as normal as her other classmates like Yamazaki, still stood out among the other boys his age. He was simply too elegant, too refined. His words, as carefree as they may seem to sound, were ringing with maturity too much for his age. Yes, he would certainly smile at times, but they were the kind that were cautious, even humorless. He may be as perfect as the devil himself, if it wasn't him already. Back then, she didn't fully comprehend this. Now, after seeing him again at a worldly age of eighteen, she finally understood that Eriol was beyond human comprehension.

_And now, he is my fiancé?! _she thought in despair. _What was my mother thinking? Even when we were in elementary, we were never close. How does she think would I cope up with him, a stranger in every way? And a brute…I was so wrong when I thought he was a gentleman. I mean, he was so nice to Sakura!_

She smacked her head. Oh yes, she nearly forgot. Everyone was nice to Sakura. No one but no one couldn't fall in love with the genki cherryblossom. Such is her charm.

She sighed deeply. No, she was doing it again. She was feeling bitterly jealous of her cousin once again. "Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry," she whispered, as if her best friend could hear her. "I'm so bad…why can't I be happy for you? You are too kind for me."

She heard a polite knock outside her door. She beckoned the guest to come in.

A nervous maid entered the room. "A-Ah, Ms. Tomoyo, Master Hiiragizawa is asking you to get dressed within ten minutes…or…or he would dress you for school himself."

She felt her temple ache. "Who died and made him my god? The hell I'll do what he says! Tell him that I'm not in the mood to go to classes."

The maid nodded and left.

Soon, she heard the knocking on the door again. She didn't bother to cover herself with the dressing robe- her maids always see her like this anyway. She opened the door and found herself staring at the uneven rise and fall of a white polo-clad chest, then slowly looked up to meet the person's gaze.

"You again?!" she exclaimed, not hiding her shock.

Eriol surveyed her coolly, then turned his back on her. "A lady knows better than to face her guests wearing only her silk night gown."

"I-I thought you were one of my maids…"she stammered.

"Get dressed," he ordered, cutting her off thoughtlessly.

"I am not going to school, and you can _not_ make me," she said, finding her composure again.

He still refused to turn her way. "You do not know me very well, Daidouji-san. Do not try my patience."

"Then don't try mine either!" she snapped.

Deathly silence.

"You weren't so difficult back then," he said pensively.

"Things change," she shrugged carelessly, although she was puzzled by what he said.

"Nothing remains constant but change, indeed."

She paused. There was a bitter ring in his voice. She suddenly wondered whether her former classmate was going through something too.

Her thoughts were cut off when he suddenly turned to her, grim with determination. He suddenly lifted her up with his arms.

"Hiiragizawa-kun! What do you think are you doing?!!" she screamed, scandalized.

He didn't look down at her as he carried her into the bathroom. "I will give you a bath."

"What?! Put me down!!!"

"Not a chance, Daidouji-san. I warned you already awhile ago. I'm not the type of man you should be headstrong with." He kicked her bathroom door open and laid her onto the bathtub.

"Hiiragizawa-kun!" she screamed in despair when she saw that he was going to fill the tub with water.

"Yes?" he asked calmly.

She clenched her fists and looked away. "I…I'll get dressed…by myself…You can wait outside for me."

"And your bath?"

She looked at him incredulously. "I'll do that on my own too!" _What the hell is he thinking?_

He smirked. "Just checking." He tapped his watch. "Fifteen minutes, or I'll barge into your room."

"I'll lock it!" she said.

He held the glittering room keys up before leaving her.

True enough, Hiiragizawa Eriol was waiting outside her bedroom door some fifteen minutes later. She refused to look at him.

"Your schedule," he said emotionlessly, handing her a piece of paper.

She frowned. "Shouldn't the Dean give me this?"  
He let out a humorless laugh. "As his assistant, I have privileges."

She looked at her subjects. "Trigonometry sucks," she whispered under her breath. "What does it have to do with music anyway?"

Eriol eyed her sideways. "Don't worry. You won't fail that class."

She glanced at him, but he was already looking at his car. "We have to move double time," he said, opening the car door.

She looked at him, aghast. He didn't even open the door car for her!

"Brute," she muttered before opening the door of the backseat.

"You'll sit in front with me," he ordered.

"No."

"You either sit here, or you take the bus." He glanced at his watch. "It will be here in two hours."

Fuming, she opened the passenger seat door. "I don't understand why you have to make such a deal with seats."

"Speak for yourself," he said calmly. "I don't want you to sit at the back because I don't want the students to think that I am your driver."

"Damn you! I'm taking driving lessons after this day!"

"Go ahead. Don't use profanities though. It is improper for such a _fine_ lady like you," he said the last statement with obvious sarcasm.

Her face was pale with shock, then she was silenced.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, but he said nothing anymore.

Tense silence hung in the air the rest of the way to the university.

"Every morning, I will take you to school at eight in the morning and I will fetch you at three in the afternoon," he said as they went out of the car. "But we'll take lunch together too at exactly noon."

"Oh great, just what I need. My movements clocked down to the very last second!" she sighed, massaging her aching temples.

"You are my fiancée," he said coldly. "I should know all your schedules."

"Why the hell did you agree to be one anyway?" she asked. 

His face darkened. "I have my own reasons. I am not entitled to tell them anymore."

"You are impossible!" she cried. "Both you and my mother are! If she thinks that I'll just be lonely because of Sakura-chan's wedding, then she could have given me a paid escort instead. Someone to amuse me and divert my attention. But…" She clenched her fists. "…he_gave_me_you." A sarcastic smirk dawned on her face. "Wait, you're a paid escort too, only you were given a nicer term…fiancé. But guess what? Sodom and Gomorrah will crumble to flames the second time first before I accept you as my fiancé."

She took a step back when she realized that she had set his cool blue eyes on fire. She recognized a homicidal look in them. She kicked herself mentally for going a bit too far.

But instead, he turned his back on her. "Follow me. I will take you to your first class."

The rest of the day became a whirlwind of activities for her. She met some of her old classmates, and befriended new ones. Of course, a lot of guys were eager to acquaint themselves with her too.

"Paris must be a really beautiful place," said one of her boy classmates, eyeing her with frank admiration.

"Really beautiful," she agreed. "Lots of lovers there too."

"So do you go to the Eiffel Tower too?" another boy asked.

"Alone," she said.

The men's eyes lit up collectively.

Another girl hushed them suddenly. "The Eagle is coming this way!"

"It's time for our Trigo class," said Chiharu Mihara, her seatmate.

"H-Huh?" She recalled Eriol telling her that she would never fail the class. Now she knew why.

"Don't expect him to be as nice as he was before," warned Chiharu. "I don't think he even remembers us anymore."

She smiled wanly. She didn't dare tell anyone else that their teacher was her fiancé.

Eriol Hiiragizawa entered the room quietly, making his presence known with his cool aura of authority surrounding the classroom. His azure eyes immediately searched for a person. He found her, lingered for a second, then he continued walking to his seat.

For the rest of the class, Eriol acted as if she didn't exist. He was concentrating merely on his teaching…and giving his students a killer board work. One time, she thought he was going to hand her the marker, but he handed it to her seatmate. Chiharu told her later that Eriol's rule was, when you are given a marker, you immediately go to the board and solve the problem. Should you dare to complain, he would immediately send you out of his class.

"That's strange," said the braided girl later after Eriol left the classroom. "Didn't he even know that he has a new student in class? His welcome to new students is always three rounds of board work."

She shrugged. "Then I guess I should just be thankful."

"Maybe he doesn't know you're present," giggled Chiharu.

She seriously doubted that. She recalled how his ice blue eyes lingered on her briefly. Despite herself, a shot of electricity ran down her spine. She immediately shook her head vehemently. What is she thinking?

"Why do you call him the Eagle anyway?" she found herself asking.

"Because he is like one," said Chiharu. "So high and mighty. Really strong and untouchable. A loner. Everyone knows his nickname."

_So that's why he introduced himself earlier as Eagle too._

"Don't let him catch you hearing that though, or you'll be in serious trouble. He's not the teacher you would like to anger," she warned.

_I know_, she thought miserably, remembering yet again how his eyes blazed in fury awhile ago. She vowed never to cross the line again.

"Daidouji Tomoyo."

Both she and Chiharu looked up to see Eriol looking at them dismally. "To the faculty office," he said curtly before turning his back on her.

She and her seatmate exchanged worried glances before she stood up and followed him.

Instead, he led her to the parking lot, where his car was waiting.

"What the-" Her mouth dropped open.

"I'm taking you out for lunch," he said simply.

"I thought…"

"Do you expect me to invite you to lunch in front of one of my students?" he asked sarcastically.

She looked down. "OK."

To her surprise, Eriol opened the car door for her this time.

"I was in a foul mood awhile ago," he said when they had both settled into the car already.

Her head hung, "I know, and it's because of me."

He glanced at her briefly, his eyes giving nothing away. "Among other things." He quickly started the car engine.

To her surprise, they ended up in front of his mansion. Nakuru Akizuki was standing there, waiting for them expectantly. Upon seeing her, Nakuru hurried to her excitedly. "Mistress Tomoyo!!! Welcome back!"

She smiled at her warmth. "Thank you very much, Nakuru." At the corner of her eye, she could see Eriol watching her. What was his problem anyway?

The woman smiled at her master. "She has blossomed into such a lovely young lady already, eh, Master?"

He shrugged. "Very."

She was irritated. Back in Europe, every man who met her wanted to ask her mother already for her hand in marriage. Her beauty dazzled the eyes of every male in her trip. Eriol Hiiragizawa was the first man to snub her like that!

Nakuru, fortunately, diverted her mind already. She was pulling her into the kitchen. "Come with me! I want you to try this special dish I made for you! I've been learning how to cook ever since Master Eriol told us that you'll be coming back soon!"

Her words entered her mind. _He knew I would come back._ She turned to Eriol, but he refused to meet her gaze. He was making his way into the mansion already.

"Won't Hiiragizawa-kun take his lunch yet?" she asked Nakuru as she, the woman, and Spinel ate heartily. The feline had grudgingly admitted that its partner's cooking skills had already improved.

"He must still be in his room, doing some heavy-duty intense research," shrugged Nakuru.

"Oh…" She nodded slowly. "Why don't you bring him up some food?"

"He doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Well, I have the right to do that!" She took his plate and filled it with food. She then marched up determinedly as the servants watched in amusement.

Tomoyo pushed the last door in the hallway open. She should have asked Nakuru for instructions. There were so many doors in this hallway alone!

To her surprise, it wasn't locked. She peeked inside and found Eriol hunched over his computer. _He works too hard._

But she blinked when he stretched a little, enabling her to see what he was doing.

"Ragnarok?" she said, startling him.

"Next time, have the ethics to knock," he said scoldingly as she fought the urge to laugh out loud. Oh, the dear university professor was playing Ragnarok when he had no classes!

"Are you listening to me?" he snapped.

"Yes, Eagle, I am," she said, finally giving in to her giggles.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, see you later. I still have classes." She saw that he was about to stand up, so she raised her hand. "No need. The bus is here. You go continue." She was about to leave the room when she turned to him. "So you're playing the acolyte, right?"

He still couldn't react.

She shut the door, shaking her head. She thought Eriol Hiiragizawa was impeccable, and that was what irritates her. But knowing that there was a human side within him…and that she alone knew that…

She felt good.

**tsuzuku**


	3. 3

"You already have a fiancé?" echoed Sakura in disbelief as she nodded wearily. She had decided to drop by Sakura's house, hoping good ol' girl companionship can do her good.

It had been days since her arrival in Tomoeda and her engagement with the cold Hiiragizawa Eriol. Ever since she caught her fiancé playing Ragnarok, he had become much colder to her for some reason she couldn't decipher. Embarrassment, maybe? Perhaps, because the way she could see him now, she knew that he was someone who didn't like being make fun of.

Coping with his impossible attitude was hard, but she was slowly getting used to it. She merely strived to not let herself get affected by it, reminding herself that she was a mature, capable adult.

"Who is he?" the cherry blossom wanted to know.

She paused, silently debating whether she should tell her cousin about it or not. In the end, she decided not to. She was mentally exhausted already, and knowing Sakura, the girl wouldn't stop asking about the how_s_ of and why_s_ of the situation, and she wasn't ready to answer them yet. She herself didn't know the answers. It was like doing a stage play without anyone furnishing her the script when everyone else has memorized his own part already.

"It's not yet time to reveal who he is," she said.

"Eh?"

She held her hand up, telling her cousin to stop asking already.

"But I had already arranged a blind date for you!" whined her cousin. "Now what do I do?"

"Blind date?" Her forehead creased. Maybe eating in a restaurant, forcing easy chatter with a stranger wasn't her idea of a perfect get-away from her situation, but she would pick anything now if only to forget about her circumstances.

"You need to socialize, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura nodded in self-agreement. "If you're not having the best time with your fiancé, whoever he is, right now, then maybe the company of another man would ease your mind."

She seriously doubted so, but her cousin was right. She was desperate to take Hiiragizawa Eriol off her mind. "OK, you win." She listened half-heartedly to Sakura's details on the said blind date she arranged for tomorrow night.

The next afternoon, as she and Eriol rode home quietly, Tomoyo decided to break the silence. "Hiiragizawa-kun, you can drop me off in the mall."

He threw her a brief look. "No," he said flatly.

By that time, she had already gotten used to his arrogant, godly, dominating ways. She had learned to not take it too seriously. "Why not?" she asked, her voice even.

"I can't go with you." His eyes remained on the road. "No one will look after you."

"I'm not a toddler anymore."

"What will you do in the mall? If you need clothes, you can have the catalogs-"

She sighed. "Hiiragizawa-kun, what I'm asking you to do is very simple – just drop me off in the mall. I know how to go home by myself, and I do not need a nanny. Furthermore, you don't need to know all of my activities. You're just my fiancé."

"Wrong. I _am_ your fiancé, so I should know," he said.

"Fine. If it would shut you up, I'm going to the mall to visit my hairdresser. I have a date tonight, and I want to look presentable-" She shrieked when she felt herself lurch forward. She could have hit the compartment if not for her seatbelt. She looked around panickedly, expecting a ten-wheeler truck heading for them uncontrollably. All she saw was the road and the trees surrounding it.

"You have some guts telling your fiancé that you have a date," he said sarcastically.

"I'm just being honest! Besides, what do you care? It is my life, not yours! Or have you already taken my right to be myself as well when you became my fiancé?" she snapped.

He turned grim. "I know you don't agree on this relationship, but please have at least the decency to respect me."

"By all means, Hiiragizawa-kun, but respect me too. I didn't want this crazy commitment – where else would you find an arranged engagement done without consulting the girl herself, when she's in the legal age to decide for herself?" She looked out at the window. "What was my mother thinking anyway?" she muttered.

Silence.

Finally, he spoke up. "Do what you want. I don't care."

"Thank you," she said in mock gratitude. She climbed out of the car and slammed the car door behind her.

What was his temper made of anyway? Why was it so volatile and unpredictable? Alas, a living block of ice with a temper like a volcano. Contradiction was an understatement.

Eriol's eyes followed the figure hurrying away from the car. He wanted to call her back into the car, but he was sure that it would just start another round of shouting match between them. He didn't feel like shouting anymore – he was dead tired.

He knew he was crossing the line a bit too much by ordering her around, but he couldn't help it. 

"I will look after you, Daidouji Tomoyo, whether you like it or not," he muttered, clenching his fists.

Tomoyo's eyebrow rose a mile when she saw Eriol's car waiting for her outside the mall. He was leaning by it, as if waiting for her.

He then sensed her presence. He tossed the car keys into the air, caught it, and got into the car.

"I didn't tell you to wait," she said slowly. She guessed that she had stayed in the mall for three hours. Did he wait that long for her?

"If something happens to you…" His voice trailed off. He started the car engine again. "Maybe I should go along with you in this date of yours," he said slowly.

She blinked. He wasn't as annoyingly condescending as he was awhile ago. Was it his way of humbling himself? She laughed. "Hiiragizawa-kun, I don't think my date would appreciate my fiancé hanging around with me."

"I see." He turned left towards the avenue where she lives. "Call me when you need a ride home. I don't trust that guy you will have a date with."

She eyed him quietly. Awhile ago, she felt that he was babying her too much, treating her like a child. But the way he speaks now, what she senses was concern – one that a man has for a lady. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Care to tell me what's so funny?" he asked.

"You. I find you funny."

"That's a first," he mumbled.

"If I don't know you, I would have guessed that you're…" She smiled coyly at him. "…jealous."

He suddenly stepped on the brakes. "We're here," he said stiffly.

"So I've noticed." She took a quick glance of her hair that she had just waxed in the salon, enjoying the new luster it had. Even if her date with a complete stranger would be disastrous, at least she would have something for consolation.

She got out of the car. "See you tomorrow, high and mighty eagle." She pivoted, her dark tresses flying around in perfect rhythm. Eriol gazed at her, unspeaking.

Suddenly, his cel rang. He picked the call up. "Yes? Oh, it's you. Yes, I'll be right there." He looked out at the window. He would have preferred to look out for Tomoyo in her date.

Tomoyo got out of the taxi and entered the cozy restaurant that Sakura had told her. She presented her card to the waiter, and she was immediately ushered to a special area of the restaurant. A table for two was set up, with white scented candles and lovely flowers arranged in a porcelain vase.

"Ma'am, the gentleman just left for the lavatory. He said that he would be back," the waiter informed her. She nodded briskly, then turned to the window outside. She did a double take when she saw a familiar-looking car outside.

_The Eagle's car?_

"Good evening," said a familiar voice stiffly.

She turned around and found herself looking at Eriol Hiiragizawa's carefully blank face. "Hiiragizawa-kun! What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Don't tell me you're following me!"

"No. I have a date with a girl in this table," he explained, showing her his card. She recognized it immediately. "Y-You were the guy Sakura sought for my blind date?!"

"Precisely, or I won't be holding this." He sat down. "Although, I must admit, I was surprised to see you here too." He eyed her intently. "So you will be my date tonight. It had been quite some while since I last went out with a girl."

Her brow arched. "Somehow, I thought of you as a ladies' man, with your looks. One who has his planner fully booked for the night in two weeks."

"Will you believe me if I say that I had lived the life of celibacy that even a priest would not take?" he asked.

"Oh. Did I mention that I thought of you as a liar too? One who can speak out lies like truths and you'll never know the difference?"

He shrugged. "Your perception of me is that bad?"

"Those were your nice points."

He smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry. I told you that it's been a long time since I last went out with a girl. I don't know how to deal with one."

She realized that the cozy atmosphere was relaxing him already, or why else would he smile like that? She felt herself slowly warming up to him. "Why are you isolating yourself from the female species then?"

She gasped when she felt his gaze penetrating her, going deeply into the depths of her soul. His eyes clouded, and he turned to the food instead.

"Did a girl hurt you?" she asked quietly.

He laughed humorlessly. "I'm untouchable. I'm the eagle, remember?"

"An eagle with broken wings, I'm afraid," she said quietly. "You're not as invincible as you thought." She reached out and touched his hand. "See?"

He withdrew his hand quickly.

"Hi-kun…are you gay?" she asked seriously.

His eyes widened, and her heart sank. _So it's true…_

But then he suddenly laughed, his shoulders shaking, his azure eyes twinkling. She could only stare at him, bewildered. She had this feeling that she just said something incredibly stupid.

"Your mind…" he said in between his chuckle. "…still never ceases to amaze me."

Her cheeks turned warm. "I-I thought…sorry…"

He took his glasses off and wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "Whew! I've never laughed like that before for a long time."

Her eyes softened. "Hi-kun,"

She saw him stiffen. He suddenly averted eye contact and reached for his glass of water. He drank it thirstily.

"Hi-kun," she tried again.

"Stop calling me that way," he snapped, but his voice had obviously weakened.

She smiled. She had found his first weak spot.

Eriol's grip on his glass tightened when he felt her fixed gaze of fascination at him. If he hears her call his name that way one more time, he knew he might end up doing something that would embarrass both of them.

Damn, he hated her. He hated the way she could wreak havoc into his senses with a mere smile, or her mere angelic voice. Her warm touch awhile ago that nearly made his heart leap out of its place.

Damn you, Daidouji Tomoyo. Damn me too, for I still can't stay away from you.

"Thanks for the wonderful night," said Tomoyo when Eriol dropped her off in front of her house again.

"You have a weird notion of wonderful," he grumbled. "All we did was just talk and dance."

"You were a superb dancer," she said, catching his eyes. They refused her. "And I was delighted by the conversation."

Silence.

"I'm glad," he said at last, his voice almost boyishly shy.

She felt her heart melt. "Thanks again." She moved to take her seatbelt off.

"Let me," he said, helping her get it off. He moved closer to her and took off the belt.

She smelled his cologne. Musky, with a hint of exciting sensuality. She was a little surprised – she thought that Eriol would wear something feminine. She slapped herself mentally.

He looked up. "Daidouji-san…"

She paused, taken by surprise. How did their faces get so close?

The air around them burned in romantic tension, until finally, he reached out and caressed her face with his fingertip, leaving a trail of fire everywhere his finger touched.

She felt her heart race, especially when his face inched closer.

-Piiiiit!!!!

The two broke apart – Eriol had accidentally elbowed the car's steering wheel, making the car sound its horn. He withdrew from her, cursing himself furiously.

She looked at him, stunned. Why was he so mad? Did he find her disgusting? She felt her heart twist painfully. Did he just get carried along with the moment?

"Sorry," he muttered.

"I'm your fiancée," she said, voice barely audible. "I won't get mad if you did that."

"It's not that," he said with a defeated sigh. "It's…" He shook his head. "Never mind."

"Good night then, Hi-kun," she said quietly.

He nodded at her curtly.

That night, she kept on getting text messages from Sakura, asking her about the date. She didn't reply. She was busy staring at the moonlit sky.

Hiiragizawa-kun…you are an enigma.

**tsuzuku**


	4. 4

"I will be joining the choir," said Tomoyo as she and Eriol rode to the university that day.

He threw her a brief glance. "That sounds great, Daidouji-san." He turned his eyes back on the road.

"Try to contain your enthusiasm, please," she said, rolling her eyes.

He glanced at her again. "I really am."

"How am I suppose to believe you?" she sighed. "And anyway, I've noticed something different about you."

He stiffened involuntarily. "Different in a good way?"

She smiled. "You haven't ordered me to do anything yet today."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Ah…"

"Was there something else on your mind that could have changed in you, Hi-kun?" she asked teasingly. She had gotten over her initial irritation with her fiancé. Having a regular companion wasn't so bad when you think about it. All those free lunches…and he was so stiff! It was fun seeing him squirm like that whenever she interrogated him.

"Nonsense," he snapped. "By the way, have you studied your lessons last night?"

She nodded. "A little. Why?"

"I'm giving the class a test, and don't think you are exempted from it," he said.

"The thought never crossed my mind, Hi-kun," she teased.

"Don't you even think of calling me that way in the classroom."

"And in other places…?"

"Do what you want."

She laughed softly. "Very well, Hi-kun." She turned to the window. "You like your pet name, eh?"

"What?! Who gave you that idea?" he demanded.

"You allowed me to call you that name as long as we're not in the campus."

He exhaled sharply. "I allowed you to call me that nickname, but I never said I like it!"

She eyed him sideways with her laughing eyes. "Really, huh?"

He paused, then turned away from her. "Just go study those damn triangles, will you?"

She giggled. Imagine, hearing those words from a Trigo teacher!

When they encountered a traffic jam in the intersection, she seized the opportunity to take her book out and browse through her Trigo lessons.

"Page eleven," he said, not looking at her.

"Thanks, Hi-kun." She eyed the *ahem* damn triangles lazily. "I'm just wondering…why did you go back to Japan?"

He sighed. "Am I obliged to answer?"

She tossed her hair over her shoulders. "No, but I promise to annoy you ad infinitum."

He looked at the cars ahead them – why don't the damn cars just move so the girl would stop asking him already? "Alright, I came back to Japan because of the request of your mother."

"You know my mother personally?" she asked.

"Actually, I know Kinomoto-sensei. He was the one who acquainted the two of us."

"So what did my mother request from you?" she asked.

He turned to her. "Strictly confidential."

"Eh? How come you know something about her that even her own daughter doesn't know?"

"It's for your own good, Daidouji-san. Trust me." Thankfully, the cars started to move.

"Know what? Figuring out these triangles are easier than figuring out your mind, Hi-kun." She shrugged. "Dakedo, you are much nicer to look at."

She heard him exhale audibly.

"Are you well-versed in the Pythagorean theorem?" he asked wearily some minutes later.

"Such a subtle shift of topic. I didn't even notice," she kidded. "Well, at least you're not vain about your looks."

"Daidouji-san," he said in a warning tone.

To this, she laughed some more. "OK, OK."

True enough, he did give them a test. Surprisingly, it was easier than the usual tests that the Eagle gives the class.

"You're a lucky charm to our class," said Chiharu as she walked her to the chapel, where the choir practices will be held. "Aside from that, ever since you started attending our Trigo class, none of our boy classmates had ever been absent!"

"Eh? That's an overstatement!"

"No, it's not!" Chiharu paused when she spotted Yamazaki waving to her. "Um, I better go. See you later, Tomoyo!"

She smiled at her understandingly. "Bye!"

At the practice, everyone watched in awe as Tomoyo rendered a particularly tricky part of the communion song. When she finished, everyone applauded.

"You are over-qualified, Daidouji-san. Our very own chapel nightingale," said the choirmaster, gazing at her appreciatively. She gave him a gracious nod.

Then at the corner of her eye, she saw Eriol seated in the corner of the chapel, watching her. When she caught his gaze, he stood up and walked out of the church.

"That's strange. I think I saw the Eagle here in the chapel with us," said one of her choirmates.

"Impossible. What would the Eagle do in the chapel? You know that we rarely see him in the university aside from his usual classrooms and the library."

"Yeah, I must be just seeing things."

"I can't blame you. He is so gorgeous!"

"Ssh, we're in the chapel! Behave!" said the choirmaster.

"Were you watching me awhile ago in the chapel?" she asked when they rode home.

Silence. He then nodded.

"Why didn't you wait up for me then?"

"I still have my classes," he replied simply.

She smiled. "Thanks for dropping by to watch…even if you have classes."

"Think nothing of it."

"I…I have this feeling that you do not go out much," she said.

"Your choirmates have certainly told you a lot about me."

"Not exactly…" She clasped her hands together. "Oh, I can't blame you. He is soooo gorgeous! One hell of a hunk!" She then collapsed into fits of laughter.

He shrugged.

She nudged him. "Wow, such a modest reply. I have never met a male who didn't even crack a smile when he heard a compliment about his looks! Does that mean you're-"

"Don't start on my gender again, Daidouji-san," he warned. "I have many ways to prove my sexuality."

She smiled nervously. "I was just going to say that you're…uh…_unique_." She then turned serious. "But it won't hurt if you socialize a little. I'm not surprised anymore how you became the assistant to the Dean when you are just a year older than me. You live on studying alone, if I'm not wrong."

"Books give me pleasure more than strained conversations with strangers."

"Is this conversation part of those strained things?" she asked, a little hurt.

He gazed at her for a moment. "Are you a stranger to me, Daidouji-san?" he asked quietly.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" she asked back.

He shrugged. "No, you're not."

"Really?"

"Really." He concentrated on the road. "Why should I allow myself to get engaged to a stranger anyway?"

"True." She turned to him. "Hi-kun, if I'm no stranger…then why were you so…cold to me before?"

Silence.

"We're home." He was about to kill the car engine when her hand stopped his arm.

"Hi-kun, please answer me," she pleaded. "Are you mad at me or something?"

Eriol couldn't speak. As he unwittingly drowned in the infinitely purple pool reminiscent of the eleven-year-old warm eyes he first cherished – one full of vulnerability and uncertainty -, he realized that he was perilously close to losing his control on the situation.

He pushed her hand away from him gently. "No, why should I be mad at you, Daidouji-san?"

Her eyes looked troubled. "But…"

He tore his gaze away from her shaking eyes. "It's just part of my personality to be like that."

"But back in elementary-"

"You said it yourself. Things change." He bowed. "Good day, Daidouji-san. I hope you understand if I don't help you with your seatbelt anymore."

Her eyes widened, and her face turned crimson. "S-Sure…I mean, I know I'm so irresistibly cute and…" She laughed nervously when she felt his intent gaze on her. She fumbled with her seatbelt. "Ooh, it won't come off," she muttered.

"That's because your fingers are trembling," he said.

"N-No, they're not!" she lied when in truth, she could feel that even her fingers lost their strength too. His azure eyes were absorbing all her strength! "Um…mind if you look the other way?"

"Sure. Are you going to undress?" he asked casually.

"Iie!" She then blinked when she realized what Eriol just did. "You…cracked a joke!" She suddenly forgot how tense she was. In his eyes, she suddenly found a glimpse of the cheerful and ever-smiling eleven-year-old Hiiragizawa Eriol. The one who made fun of Li Syaoran and spun stories with Yamazaki. Her eyes shook.

"Why are you smiling that way?" he asked, puzzled.

He gasped when she threw her arms around him. "My dear Eagle still knows how to smile and joke around!" 

"W-What…?"

She looked at him, beaming. "I promise to bring back your laughing eyes, Hi-kun. No, an eagle's heart is too cold for you. I refuse to have my fiancé carry on such a senseless masquerade." She energetically took off her seatbelt. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hi-kun!"

Eriol's eyes were an eddy of emotion. "I can't do this…I promised that I'll never be happy again…because I made her so miserable…"

On his mind was the scarlet-haired woman with kind, loving eyes. A woman with so much love in her heart for him, but he never was able to reciprocate.

Because he was just a mere personification of someone else's existence. His heart wasn't created to love; it was just an organ to sustain his entity.

He started the car engine again. But who was he to refuse Daidouji Tomoyo?

The only girl whom he couldn't find in his heart to push away.

"So Eriol is your fiancée?" Sakura repeated when she finished laughing. Tomoyo had just called her on the phone and explained the details she had been asking since last night.

She nodded. "Hai. But we had a good time…well at least, I did. Figuring out Eriol-kun is so tough! I didn't know if he liked being my fiancé at all!"

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I mean, do you, um, like being his fiancée?"

She blushed. "Er…I'm getting used to it."

"Oh, that's a start. Falling in love is the best feeling in the world."

Tomoyo paused. Love? When she accepted the engagement, she didn't think of that factor. Now that her cousin had mentioned it, she suddenly doubted what would be in store for her and Eriol –engaged without knowing their feelings for each other. If it wasn't her who was personally involved in the situation, she could have laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She thought arranged marriages happen in movies only.

"Do you care for Eriol-kun?"

She paused. "I like him…"

"That's a start."

"Isn't love spontaneous? Like what Li felt for you?"

"Well, um…love comes in different ways. There's love at first sight, love the second time around, love when three is a crowd…"

"Yeah right," said Tomoyo, laughing. "And love _foreplay_."

Sakura didn't get it, and this made her laugh some more. Oh, her dear cousin was so innocently sweet!

She paused. All her life, she kept on saying to herself that she loved Sakura, and she feels so. Could it be possible that she can love another with equal passion, or perhaps, even more?

"Tomoyo-chan, how do you spell 'foreplay'? F-O-U-R-P-L-A-Y?"

"Go ask Li," she said.

"OK, I'll call him right now."

"Good luck!" She could just imagine how Li would lose consciousness when Sakura asks him.

"You seem to be more thoughtful and quiet ever since Daidouji-san arrived," said Spinel, joining its master in the balcony.

"I thought that having lived a lifetime already before, I would already know the answers to all the mysteries of life…but why can't I answer the mystery of my own existence? Am I me, am I Fujitaka, or am I Clow Reed? Whose heart is beating within me now?"

"Master…"

"I thought I loved Kaho. Really, I did. But when Sonomi showed me the portrait of her daughter…" He smiled sadly. "She grew as lovely as Nadeshiko, even prettier maybe. I asked Sonomi immediately for her daughter's hand in marriage, because her beauty warms something within me." He then turned to the sky. "But as days pass, I cannot accept anymore that I care for her because she looks like the woman a part of me loved. It's unfair. She's a good woman."

"So what are you saying?"

"I want to break the engagement."

Silence.

"But will you do it?"

Eriol laughed bitterly. "I can't. I promised Sonomi that I'll take care of her daughter."

"Is that your only reason?"

He fell silent.

"Six years ago…did your feelings change?"

"How can they? They never even existed at the first place. She was dear to me because a part of me loved Nadeshiko, no less, no more."

"Are you certain about that?"

"What can be the other reason then?"

"Maybe because she charmed Hiiragizawa Eriol's heart?"

"Eriol Hiiragizawa doesn't exist in the world."

"What do you call yourself then?"

"I…" He looked up at the night sky. His eyes softened. "…don't know."

It felt liberating to speak aloud sometimes that there were just things beyond his control, and that sometimes, it's ok to say 'I don't know'.

"You had enough thinking for tonight. Rest, Master."

"Yes." He followed the cat back into the mansion.

**tsuzuku**


	5. 5

"Hi-kun, it's Saturday tomorrow," reminded Tomoyo.

Eriol looked up from the road. "I know my calendar. Thanks though."

She slapped his shoulder playfully. "Hiiragizawa Eriol, you are most definitely making progress with your humor." She tossed her glossy hair behind her shoulders. "I was just going to ask you if you want to take a pretty girl like me out on a date tomorrow night, like all couples do."

He blinked.

She sighed. "Um, have you forgotten that I'm your fiancée?"

He shook his head. "No…I was thinking about the date…"

"Yeah right." She leaned on her head rest. "Don't feel obliged to take me out. I was just clowning around awhile ago."

"My fiancée's voice awhile ago was that of a serious, hopeful lady," he disagreed. "And I'll be half a man if I do not concede to her simple wishes." He gave her his rarer-than-blue-moons smile that nearly took her breath away. "Sure I'll take her out for dinner."

Her face slowly crinkled into a smile. "T-Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's a fiancé's obligation." 

And so, the date was finally set. Tomorrow night, seven pm sharp.

"Where will you take me?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere but an elegant restaurant," she said. "I had enough of those back in Europe."

He glanced at her. "Do you always go out on dates there?"

"Hmmm…it's part of my job as the PR manager of our company," she said.

"Those that are not related to business…and your companions are men…"

She shrugged. "I get a lot of offers."

"Of course," he grumbled.

She eyed him, smiling. "But if that man is not really a client, I don't go." She nudged him playfully. "So no need to get jealous."

"Whoever said I was jealous?" he asked.

"Your actions."

"I think that's a natural reaction from your fiancé."

"Of course," teased Tomoyo.

"Of course!" said Eriol indignantly. "I'm taking you to the movies, will that be fine?"

She tipped her chin thoughtfully. "Not special enough."

"OK, so do you have better ideas?" he asked.

"Let's have a picnic…by the beach!" she clapped her hands.

"The beach is an hour's drive from here," he reminded her.

"But I miss the shores of Japan already!"

Eriol glanced at her briefly. "Fine. The beach, it is."

Her eyes crinkled into a smile. "I know you'll see things _my_ way!"

"Don't I always?" he asked wryly.

"You used not to," she reminded him. "Ah well, past is past. I'm happy with my Hi-kun now."

Silence.

"Are you…really happy with me?" he asked softly.

She paused, then laughed nervously. "Well, I most certainly am. You remind me that I'm not alone."

He shrugged. "I…I feel the same way, Daidouji-san." He continued to drive, eyes carefully averting hers. "When I returned to Japan, the first person I looked for is you. I was told though that you left with your mother for Europe."

She felt her heart jump.

"I waited, Daidouji-san. I'm glad my wait was worth it. You're here now."

She tried to ease the tension with her laughter. "Ah, Hi-kun. No need to tell me such things. I'll marry you anyway."

"Because of Sakura, am I right?" he asked, his voice a little sharp.

She blinked.

He laughed humorlessly. "Of course, silly me. Why else would you marry a stranger?"

"Hi-kun, I agreed to this outrageous set-up not because of Sakura-chan. I have long buried my bitterness," she said quietly. "I'm marrying you because…because I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to be alone. Because I like the feeling you give me when we're together." She blushed faintly. "And you are no stranger. Even when we were in elementary, I felt very…comfortable with you."

He paused, then smiled. "Good enough for me."

That night, Tomoyo, wearing a white sweater over her pale green skirt, finished packing the picnic basket. Just then, the phone rang. She answered it after two rings.

"Hi dear! The maids told me that you and the young man Hiiragizawa are getting along with each other very well. I'm so happy for you two!" chirped her mother.

"Mother?!" Her grip on the phone tightened. "Where are you? Why haven't I seen you here yet? What kind of social visit is that? It seems to me that you're planning to live already with your friend there!"

Sonomi chuckled. "Don't you worry anymore about me, Tomoyo. I'll be gone for two more weeks, but I'll be there at your wedding. I'm finding you the best wedding courtier already." 

"Wedding?! Mom, I've met Hiiragizawa Eriol for barely a week, and you already hear wedding bells?!" Tomoyo wondered if her mother was already on the verge of senility.

"Oh, any way you look at your relationship, you two will eventually get married. Early planning won't hurt at all." Tomoyo then heard the door in her mother's side open.

"Dear, I'll talk to you soon. Take care, Honey." Busy tone.

"Oh Mother…" was the only thing Tomoyo could sigh.

"Have you talked with your daughter already?" asked Fujitaka, loosening his necktie.

Sonomi sat up from her bed, nodding. "I'm happy for her."

The man eyed the woman before him sadly Sonomi had lost a lot of weight already since her operation.

"So what did the doctor say?" asked the woman.

"You will have to undergo some two weeks of observation, just to check if the cancer won't spread anymore." He smoothed her hair. "Hang on, Sonomi. You are such a strong woman."

"I'm trying my best," said the woman, voice breaking. "For my Tomoyo…"

"I talked with Hiiragizawa already. He's a man worth your trust. But Sonomi, you have to be there for your child too."

"If things worsen…I know I can count on him. He promised me that he won't ever leave her. I believe him, Fujitaka, with all my heart." She smiled at him. "The way I secretly trusted you when I handed Nadeshiko over to you. Young man Hiiragizawa reminds me of you so much when you were still a young, idealistic college professor and she was a newly-bloomed rose at eighteen. You promised me too, that you'll never leave her. I wasn't vocal about it, but I believed you. I still do, and will always do." Her face crumpled. "My beloved Tomoyo…"

"Wow!!!" gushed Tomoyo as she let her eyes rest on the moonlit serenity of the nearly empty beach.

"The place is ours for the time being," said Eriol as he dutifully laid the beach towel. When she didn't answer, he looked up and found her twirling around, arms spread wide, her tresses swaying with her skirt. He momentarily forgot what he was doing previously as he watched  her unconscious movements.

Tomoyo rushed to the beach and took off her sandals. She dipped her dainty feet to the crashing waves, enjoying the relaxing feeling it gives to her.

He smiled to himself. Even Venus would be insecure to rise from the sea if someone like Tomoyo would be sitting by the water.

He blinked when she caught him looking at her. She smiled and waved. He looked down quickly on the basket and busied himself with preparing their picnic spot, all the while feeling the heat on his face. He silently reprimanded himself. Why was he acting like a stupid teenager gawking at his first crush anyway? Fine, Daidouji Tomoyo was beautiful, especially when under the moonlight. But he had looked at hundreds of beautiful women in art, sculpture, and portraits. He should be immune by that now, with his intense immersing into visual art when he was still studying in the university. Besides, Kaho Mizuki was beautiful too, but why couldn't he feel this excited about her when they were together? With Kaho, he felt like a man. With Tomoyo, he felt like an awkward teenager.

He remembered Spinel's question. Had his feelings changed in the six year gap?

Tomoyo waved at him. "Hi-kun, join me here!"

Her warm smile. Her lovely eyes that were turned exquisitely lilac by the platinum moon glow. Her voice that reminded him of tinkling bells and laughing brooks.

No, the feelings didn't wane- they only grew frighteningly stronger and more powerful. If he could forget about Clow Reed and Fujitaka Kinomoto and be himself, his heart would proudly declare…

…that now and then, it was only her. In the coming days of this lifetime, it would only be her too. The raven nightingale, whose song was the entire melody of the lonesome eagle's heart.

What did Fujitaka tell him before?

Right. That an eagle was a monogamous creature – for its entire lifetime, it would only have one mate.

"Coming," he said, smiling at her fondly, as he joined her by the sand.

Tomoyo blinked when she saw the strangely tender smile on Eriol's face. Was she just imagining things? Was Eriol really smiling at her warmly, the way she imagined men in romance novels would do to their leading ladies?

Her heart raced when he sat down beside her, the some three inches between them proving insignificant. She was acutely aware of his skin next to hers, of his deep sighs with hers. Everything between them was so synchronized – so right.

They were quiet – not one of them dared to break the comfortable silence between them.

Until he cleared his throat. "Daidouji-san?"

"Yes?"

"May I…" He looked at her, eyes warm and open. "May I hold you close to me?"

The sincerity and reverence in his voice stirred something within her. She found herself nodding, and he carefully took her into his embrace.

His hands were clasping hers, his lips were on her smooth hair, his arms were around her. They were still, enjoying each other's warmth.

"This feels so nice," she murmured,

"I think so too," he agreed huskily.

"I can stay like this forever."

"Me too."

She laughed quietly. "I'm not scared anymore of marrying you, in case you don't change your mind or you don't back out. I feel so secure when I'm with you."

"I can forget about everything else."

She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Is there something you want to forget, Hi-kun?"

He nodded slowly. "May we not talk about it anymore? I would rather do something else." He hugged her tighter.

"OK," she agreed. She was about to look down when his fingers tipped her chin up.

"Do you trust me, Daidouji-san?" he asked gruffly.

She nodded immediately.

With that, he crossed the remaining distance between them and kissed her, tentatively at first, giving her the chance to pull away.

She didn't, and his kiss grew deeper, more passionate. His lips woke up the sleeping embers of passion within her, and as she accepted his fire willingly, he whispered to her words that she thought she wouldn't ever hear from someone like him. 

"It was only you, Tomoyo. Only you."

**tsuzuku**


	6. 6

Five down, three chapters to go! Hina-chan, I'm doing my best to work on the tenses. ^^ Please bear with your grammatically-challenged author. 

_Oh yeah, I forgot to plug for the E+T Fanfic/Fanart Contest this coming Sept.9. Check out my profile for details regarding the E+T Anniversary Contest *looks at the calendar* More than a month to go ^^_

_I'm not in the mood to type my usual long chapter because I'm having a bad case of Hao Asakura hangover, so this chap would be more of a flashback._

_-- Syaoran no Hime, no.1 believer of the Hao/Syao foundation – (Kyte, who else would love such fandom but the one involved herself? So stop laughing already! :p)_

"You left Japan with such a heavy heart," remarked Kaho as their plane took off.

"I will miss them," he admitted. He laced his fingers together and crossed his legs. He couldn't erase from his mind the visit he received from Daidouji Tomoyo, thanking him for not hurting her best friend in the entire course of her clow mistress trials. She also asked him to write back to them regularly, and that the town of Tomoeda would welcome him with open arms if he would ever decide to come back.

Mizuki Kaho smiled knowingly. "Just to remind you that we're in an airplane, not a bus. You can't just drop down the ground in a parachute when you've realized that you don't want to leave after all."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "You don't really need me anymore to make a fool out of yourself."

He sighed. "I'm starting to have second thoughts on inviting you back here to see Sakura and the others again."

"Because you gave me the chance to see how fond are you of Daidouji?"

He glanced at her warily. "Let's not start this again."

"Why can't you be true to yourself for once, Hiiragizawa Eriol?" she asked. "You like her, what's wrong with that?"

"Nonsense," he muttered. "This is not part of Clow Reed's plans."

She touched his hand. "Eriol, when will you understand that you are not Clow Reed anymore? Perhaps, a part of him resides in you, just like in the case of Fujitaka Kinomoto. But look at the professor, he was able to live a happy life as a normal husband and father to Nadeshiko and their offsprings."

"Exactly," he said. "This absurd feeling I have for Daidouji-san is not real. Perhaps, I'm just feeling this way because the other half of my persona fell in love with someone who looks like her."

Kaho smiled. "Did you like the girl because she has raven tresses and large, expressive eyes that can drive any man to his knees?"

He paused. "Among other things," he said quickly. He admired her kindness, her selflessness, her willingness to give up the cherry blossom to the little wolf even if it would mean giving up a happiness of her own. He admired her strength, her vitality, her optimism. He admired her keen perception, her sensitivity, her grace.

"Those 'other things' running in your mind now make Daidouji different from Nadeshiko, so don't you think that's proof enough that Eriol Hiiragizawa is crushing on Daidouji Tomoyo?" she asked, amused.

"Nonsense," he snapped, his conviction lessening. "Check on me five or six years later. I'm sure I would have gotten over this already."

One cold winter afternoon, Eriol arrived in Kaho's apartment worriedly. He found the woman lying on the bed, pale and unmoving. "Kaho?"

She opened her eyes and found his troubled cerulean eyes gazing at her. She forced a smile into her face. "G-Glad you found time to visit me."

"K-Kaho…before I left for Japan…why didn't you tell me that you were sick?" he asked in anguish.

"I-I thought I just wasn't used to the awful England weather." She looked out at the window, where snow was softly falling on the bare branches of the oak tree. "I didn't know it was something worse."

"I want to strangle you right now," he said as he tucked her in. "But for your sake, I'll be more considerate. I'll give you time to get better first, then I'll kill you."

Despite of her weakness, she still burst out laughing. "That's sweet of you." She then grew serious. "So what did Fujitaka-sensei tell you? Why did you have to go to Japan?"

"It's about Daidouji-sama," he explained, running his fingers on his hair. "Fujitaka suspects that the tumor on her breast is malignant."

Kaho stifled a gasp.

"Her daughter doesn't know, and he had come to ask from me a favor…to stay in Japan and look after Daidouji-sama. He wants me to take care of her business and paper works. Also…once Daidouji-san returns to the country…he asks that I marry her."

Silence.

"I'm happy for you," said Kaho, smiling blissfully.

"Why?" he asked. "We're planning to get married ourselves and-"

"It was you doing the planning, not me," she interjected gently. "I know better than to belittle the sanctity of marriage."

"Kaho…"

"I do love you, Eriol. Yes, I do. But I want to love someone who can give his heart willingly to me, with no other woman holding it too. Call me selfish, but that's the truth." Her eyes moistened. "In the entire three years we've been together, you have been my companion, my friend, my love. I'm grateful for that, you know. However, when you look at me with feelings reserved for someone else…it hurts."

"Kaho…"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm even grateful that you've kept me company up to this time," she said. "But I think I owe it to you and to Daidouji to give you two a chance. If you can be happier with her, then by all means, I'll step aside." She laughed and beckoned him to come closer. He obliged.

"Go back to Japan and try to sort your feelings out. You'll find out for yourself the answers you seek regarding your identity," she instructed. She then cupped his face. "I wish you your happiness," she whispered before kissing his cheek. "Your happiness is mine too."

Sonomi Daidouji's face lit up when he appeared in the hospital room.

"Where is Daidouji-san?" he asked politely.

"She's currently finishing her semester in Paris, but she'll be coming home soon." Sonomi rubbed her chin. "Or did she say two years after? I'm not sure myself. She's enjoying her life in Europe, running the extension of our business there."

"I see."

"Would you like to see my daughter – what she looks like? Fujitaka told me that you and Tomoyo were classmates before, but you may be interested to see what she looks like now?" There was a question in the woman's voice.

"It shall be my honor," he said truthfully, his heart starting to race again. It had been quite a while since he last saw her. He never attempted to write back to Tomoyo and the others, hoping to break communication with them already – the day Sakura passed his final test for her, he had already decided that it was over.

But at nights, he could find himself reading Tomoyo's cheery letters about the happenings in Tomoeda. Reading _and _re-reading. There was something about her warm tone in the letters that was bringing him back in spirit to Tomoeda. A year later though, she stopped writing. Sakura told him that she moved to Europe with her mother already.

His thoughts were interrupted when Sonomi pointed to the can vas covered by a thick red blanket. "Tomoyo sent me this. She told me she had posed for a class of artists while she was sipping tea in the café. She sent me one of the souvenir portraits the artists gave her."

He felt his throat go dry. The familiar exquisite purple eyes, the china-like skin, and her gorgeous raven curls blown carefreely by the wind. Everything about her is like Spring. In some ways, she had matured, but she felt as familiar as she was back in fifth grade. Nostalgia overwhelmed him. He had never really felt that he missed the warm town of Tomoeda, but now that he was gazing at the portrait, he felt like crying. He was home, finally.

_Home is where the heart is_, Kaho once said. He found her words very true now.

"Just like Nadeshiko, only I think she's prettier than her aunt," said Sonomi, not without the obvious touch of motherly pride in her voice.

_Nadeshiko…_Of course. There could be no other explanation for his feelings but the deceased woman. Someone a part of him loved. It was absurd for _him_ to fall in love. He was not human. He didn't really exist.

He gazed at the portrait for a few more moments before coming to a decision. "I will marry her."

Sonomi looked at him hard and long before saying, "Of course."

"Of course," he repeated the words under his breath. It sounded so easy, as easy as striking a business deal. How could have he done such thing, commit himself to a girl he had not seen since elementary?

However, his doubts would easily be dismissed whenever he looks at the portrait, kindly lent to him by Daidouji-sama.

"Of course," he said, nodding. He wasn't so sure about his decision, but he felt no regrets. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Because if his decision was wrong, he would end up hurting a lot of people – including Daidouji-sama, Kaho, and Tomoyo herself.

Then he would never forgive himself.

A year later, Nakuru, whom he ordered to stay and look after Kaho, handed him a letter. It was the last letter he would ever receive from her. It simply restated her wish that he would be happy, and that Tomoyo would be happy too.

I will watch over you from here, as my way of saying thanks for your looking after me while I was still there.

He crushed the letter, his insides churning. Kaho, the dear woman who loved him terribly, but whose love he wasn't able to respond to. She was a dear friend to the end, still looking out for his happiness even before journeying to the next life.

He hated himself silently for making her miserable. For not giving her the love she deserves, with the pure, chaste heart she possessed.

What a scum he was!

A week before Tomoyo's return, he had visited a chapel. Kneeling, he turned to the crucifix. "I know that the person you least expect to seek your counsel is a man like me, who had been wrapped up in his pathetic illusion of omnipotence for so long." He laughed bitterly. "I thought I knew everything, but a man can only know so much. I'm tired of knowing everything. This time, I want you to guide me, Lord. I want you to show me the way. Give me a sign, whether what I'm doing is still right, and that you can already forgive me for being selfish all my life." He bowed silently, then looked up again. "Take care of Kaho for me."

----

The sounds of the waves lapping against his bare feet snapped him out of his trance. He looked at Tomoyo, who had fallen asleep in his arms already. He smiled and smoothed her hair, then looked up at the sky.

"Lord, if she is the sign you promised, I thank you with all my heart," he whispered before falling asleep peacefully too.

**Tsuzuku**

*sniff* too dramatic for dear Syao-chan. I think I didn't make Kaho the villain here because well, I pity her. *merhiel's eyebrow arches* Let's just say, I've been through what she had been through in this chapter. ^^


	7. 7

"So how was your date last night with young man Hiiragizawa?" asked her mother excitedly over the phone.

Tomoyo felt her cheeks warm up. "Mother, it's only eight in the morning. We ought to talk about it later, after I get some sleep."

"You mean you didn't get much last night?" exclaimed the mother. "Didn't he take you home right away? How many hours were you two together then?"

She freaked out. "Iie! L-Look, I'll talk with you later. But do return to the house already. I demand to know what you find so fascinating about that place and you can't leave it."

Sonomi became quiet. "I will be staying her far longer than you think."

"Mom, don't act like a kid. Come back home already." She sighed. Honestly, there were times that she felt that between the two of them, she was more of the parent.

"I will when I can."

"What do you mean?"

"Oops. My friend's here. I better go."

And before she could protest, the busy tone sounded already. Great, just what she needed – her mother expecting everything was going well for the two strangers she was matchmaking.

She paused. But last night in the beach…she and Eriol weren't strangers to each other. She was positive of that – she could still vividly see the tender gaze her fiancé gave her.

But was last night enough to give justice to the outrageous set-up between her and the Eagle?

The kiss…was it more than a spur of the moment? He told me that it was only me…only me. Eyes cannot deceive my heart – I feel his sincerity. Ah, it's easy to think that Hi-kun cares for me.

Dakedo…

Now that the romantic moon, waves and isolation are no more, will he still feel the same for me?

She touched her lips shakily and shut her eyes, savoring the warmth running up and down within her.

Eriol leaned on his favorite reading chair, mind in turmoil. Last night was magical – it had been so easy for him to forget about his reservations and just be himself. It had also been easy for him to understand that the raven nightingale had caged his heart since long ago already – reclusion perpetua, perhaps, but a sentence he would gladly serve.

But now that he sat down to think about it, his uncertainties returned. He and Tomoyo had never been really friends, and if not for others' manipulation, would never have been close. Sure, he cared for her deeply, but what about her? Did she care for him even half the way he does for her?

And then, there was that kiss last night. He did feel her respond passionately to him, but what if she just got carried away with the atmosphere?

He also couldn't chase away the memories of Mizuki Kaho and Kinomoto Nadeshiko. He sighed audibly, massaging his aching temples. How did things get so complicated anyway? Before, all he was worried about was whether his feelings were real. Now that he almost believed they were, here he was worrying whether _her_ feelings were real.

_Is she ready to love? Am I ready to let go? Are we ready to forget?_

"Not all questions are answered by yourself, Master," said Nakuru, sitting by his feet.

He looked at her wanly. "So you think I'm asking myself questions?"

"Hai. My master looks so confused…you can break any mother's heart, master." She tucked her knees. "Maybe you should…you know, ask other people too."

He fell silent, listening to his servant talk.

"Perhaps you may be the wisest mage in the world, because most of your knowledge was derived in your two sems from the University of Experience, Dakedo, a lifetime is too short to learn all of those knowledge. To save yourself the grief, learn from other people's lives and insights too." She smiled at him. "In short, if you want to know what Mistress Tomoyo feels for you, it's best that you go and ask her. Just so you can save yourself the grief of driving yourself nuts, wondering whether she sees you as a friend, a lover, or a nobody."

He smiled. Somehow, amidst her senselessness, he always managed to pick up a small nugget of wisdom in her words.

"Look at yourself – you haven't eaten anything ever since you returned here last night! Your bones are starting to show! Your ribs are baring themselves already! The university won't allow a malnutritioned professor to teach even Gardening there, so you would lose your job. No other company would accept you, because you look so thin and prone to accidents and health insurances. You'll live your whole life as a bum, not eating anymore. You will lose your energy, enthusiasm, and vitality, and you would just resort to hiding in the dark, counting the passing seconds away before dusk, when everything will be covered by darkness and no eye can discriminate your ugly body proportions. You'll be a vampire – yes, a vampire! You won't go out anymore in the light and you would thrive in the dark, and you'll be so pale and yucky that no girl would fall in love with you, because you look like a victim of Hepatitis B. You'll ruin your life, all because you didn't know whether Mistress Tomoyo feels something for you or not!"

Eriol, who was still stunned from the speech his servant ranted on a single breath, took a few minutes before coming to a decision. He stood up. "That's right. The only way I can gain the peace of mind that I want is to know the answer myself. I have to come clean to her."

"You go, Master!" cheered Nakuru.

He nodded and headed for his car.

Tomoyo was pacing around in the garden nervously when her maid politely disturbed her. 

"Young sir Hiiragizawa is waiting for you outside, Ms. Tomoyo."

"Let him in," she said, sighing. She was already expecting that he would appear today. She had no choice but to face him – it was inevitable, anyway.

Eriol appeared, poker-faced. She felt her heart race peculiarly. She scolded herself – why was she reacting this way? She sees Eriol everyday, doesn't she? Why was she feeling this way now?

"We need to talk," he began in a businesslike voice.

"T-That's what we're doing now, right?" she asked in a light tone, hoping it would ease the tension.

It didn't. He still looked gravely serious. "Let me restate my wish to marry you. I want you to be my wife."

"Um…yeah…"

"But I will give you the freedom to back out as you wish, after you listen to me."

Her forehead creased.

He exhaled with difficulty, then began to narrate the events leading to their engagement.

At the end of his narration, Tomoyo was speechless. She was angry, frantic, worried, sad, and confused at the same time. Eriol was asked to marry her out of an obligation, just so someone can watch over her when her mother's situation worsens. At the same time, he was trying to deal with Kaho's death through their companionship.

It seemed that their engagement had every right and good reason to exist, save for one that he must think was non-existant.

Love.

Her eyes welled up with tears. "T-Take me to my mother…please…"

He straightened. "I'm sorry that I have the one to break the news to you. Just so you can prepare yourself mentally. I have guessed that you would want to see Daidouji-sama after this."

"Shut up. Just take me to where my mother is." Her mind had clouded already. How could her mother do this to her, not inform her one and only child that she had a serious health problem? She would have done something to help her, like find the best doctors for her.

To her surprise, he pulled her to him, rubbing her shoulders and her back soothingly. "Don't cry," he said quietly. "Your mother is strong. You'll see I know what I'm talking about when you talk to her today." He wiped her tears with his thumb gently. "Dry your eyes. Don't make Daidouji-sama worry."

"H-Hai," she said weakly. She was dead tired already.

"Fix yourself then we're on our way to Daidouji-sama," he instructed. 

Sonomi was shocked to see Eriol standing with her daughter in the room.

"You…told her…" the Daidouji matriarch whispered.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I really think she ought to know." He bowed and left the room.

Tomoyo sat by her mother's side, eyes shaking. "Why?" she asked, hurt. "Why didn't you tell me you had breast cancer?"

"Because I don't want you to worry about me," said Sonomi, smoothing her daughter's hair.

"But in turn, you deprived me of my right to care for you," she shot back, tears welling up.

"I know what's best for my daughter…I thought it was better if you do not know…"

Tomoyo reached out and hugged her mother. "Past cannot come undone. But Mom, you're going to get through this. You've got me. I've got you. We've got only each other now. You can't leave me."

"Don't say that, darling," said her mother. "I've asked Hiiragizawa to-"

She shook her head. "I will hear none of it. Why did you manipulate him to become my fiancé? You and Uncle Fujitaka?" Her shoulders shook. "All the while, I thought…"

"He is not the type to be easily manipulated, dear," Sonomi reminded her. "I don't think he would do anything that he doesn't want to do."

"Oh." Her eyes shook. The realization dawned on her finally.

"Do not doubt the eagle's heart. It is pure and chaste, strong and faithful." Sonomi smiled. "He told me something before that I think you should know."

She looked at her mother expectantly.

"The eagle is a monogamous creature. Its heart is reserved only for one mate in his entire lifetime. If it arrives in its nest and doesn't find its mate, it will wait patiently. During its waiting, it will not mate with other eagles." The woman laughed. "He told me that he tried to love another woman, but his heart refused to obey him. His heart was still waiting, and he was glad that it did."

"Mother…"

"Ask him yourself. You may not know but he is drowning in his own troubles. I think that it's only you who can help him out." Sonomi gazed at the door. "Go."

"W-Why didn't he tell me he had problems?" she asked.

"Perhaps his reason is the same as mine. We both don't want to hurt the ones we love. As long as possible, we try to keep our beloved from getting hurt or troubled. I believe it's called love." Sonomi clasped her daughter's hands with hers. "Go ask him."

Tomoyo nodded, and embraced her mother. "I'll be back. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Honey. So very much," whispered Sonomi, hugging her daughter back.

Tomoyo found Eriol by the chapel, kneeling at the pew. She knelt down beside him and prayed too.

After a while, he spoke up. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"What were you praying for?"

"That both you and the Lord will forgive me for committing yet another mistake."

She bit her lip. "What mistake?"

"For causing you and the people around me so much misery…because…because I fell in love…which wasn't part of the plan."

Her eyes saddened. Her mother was right. Eriol indeed was drowning in his own troubles. She took his hand into hers. "Let's pray harder, then maybe God will answer us."

"What are you praying for?" he asked.

"Your peace of mind," she replied.

"Tomoyo…" His throat went dry. He looked away shamefully, hiding his tears. "How can you be so kind?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But you are so kind too," she said. "But blaming yourself too much is not right anymore. Falling in love is natural. You're a human."

"I'm not. I'm just a reincarnation of someone else."

"No, you're not," she said in gentle firmness. "In my eyes, you are Hiiragizawa Eriol, the kind, patient, caring, loving eagle that I would like to keep for my whole life. I don't see Uncle Fujitaka, I don't see Clow Reed. I see you. _You._" She cupped his face. "If Mizuki-sensei was here, I'm sure she would agree with me too."

"Tomoyo…" He finally faced her, uncaring of the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Tomoyo, I never thought I could ever say this to a woman, but…I love you more than my own life. Even if falling in love with you is a mistake, it would still be the most beautiful mistake that I've ever committed, one I would do again and again even if I would be reborn a thousand times more."

Her tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Good. Will you marry me then, Hiiragizawa Eriol?" 

"Even in a hundred churches, I will, Daidouji Tomoyo." He imprisoned her in his arms, crying happily. God answered his prayer – He had forgiven him already. The Lord even answered her prayer too – he had finally found his peace of mind.

He was embracing it already.

_Finale due soon! ^^_


	8. epilogue

 E P I L O G U E 

_"Tomoyo-chan, what is your dream?"_

_"Er…"_

_"Perhaps, you want to be a singer? A fashion designer?"_

_"Sakura-chan, I want to fall in love…and be caught securely when I do."_

_"But what's the point of falling in love then?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"If the person you love will readily catch you, you're just looking for a trampoline. Dakedo, you are looking for a companion."_

_"So what are you saying? That I would allow myself to get hurt when I fall? The ground is not always soft and the impact of my fall can break me."_

_"Iie. What I am saying is, when you fall in love, you would want that person to fall along with you, take your hand, and reassure you that no matter what happens, he won't ever let you go."_

_"But what if he lets go?"_

_"Someone will come from behind and fall with you still. It's a long way down, and so many people can fall down with you. One of them may turn out to be _*_the_* _one. Uncertainties and risks are the thrills of falling."_

_"That's crazy!"_

_"Yes. Isn't it wonderful?"_

Tomoyo's eyes welled up with tears when she remembered her conversation with Sakura some years ago. Now more than ever, she believed her genki cherryblossom.

If I had been afraid, I wouldn't have jumped and allowed myself to fall in love. Then I wouldn't have met my eagle.

She looked at her groom lovingly, who was listening to the priest solemnly.

"I do," he said firmly, conviction and pride resounding in his voice. He glanced at her and smiled, nearly taking her breath away.

She smiled back, tearfully even. She had fallen in love with him for three years already, and they still hadn't let go of each other. It was destiny. She knew it.

The twenty-year-old bride turned to the priest.

"Do you, Daidouji Tomoyo, accept this man as your lawfully-wedded husband, in sickness and in health, through thick and thin, for richer or poorer?"

She nodded. "I do." She beamed lovingly. "But hopefully, for the richer."

Everyone in the church laughed.

Behind her Sonomi, bound by the wheelchair and hair covered by a bonnet, but not looking less beautiful, smiled at her daughter proudly. Fujitaka nodded approvingly. Both were thinking of the same person – Nadeshiko.

The priest cleared his throat. "Then, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Eriol turned to his bride. "May I?"

Tomoyo grinned. "Always the shy type eh?" She tiptoed to meet his lips. Everyone applauded happily as the two kissed passionately.

Sonomi was wheeled towards the couple by Fujitaka. Tomoyo knelt and kissed her mother. "Thank you," the daughter said. "Your manipulation paid off."

Sonomi laughed. "Mothers know best."

"True, true." She clasped her mom's hands. "Mom, you'll pull through this. Your chemotherapy is going great! You'll be growing your gorgeous hair soon again."

"I don't care about my hair. I want grandkids."

Tomoyo blushed while Eriol chuckled. "We'll do our best to provide you a lot of them soon enough, Daidouji-sama."

"Call me 'Mother'." Sonomi's eyes twinkled. "Take care of my love."

"Yes, Dai-Mother," said Eriol, chuckling.

As everyone lined up for the wedding picture, Nakuru handed Tomoyo a letter. "Read this later," whispered the servant.

Tomoyo's eyes glistened with tears. "T-This is from Mizuki-sensei!"

Nakuru winked. "She knew that eventually, this would happen, but she couldn't attend. Oh anyway, read that later. Don't ruin your make-up with your tears, Honey. And you still have to throw the bouquet. I'm _catching_ it."

The new wife nodded and placed the letter next to her heart as Eriol ushered her to pose with everyone in the family, then with the whole class that Eriol was teaching in the university.

"Sir, do we get direct pluses in our card for our attendance?" piped one student in.

Eriol smiled graciously. "Of course!"

"Sir, we don't have Trigo classes for the week, right?" piped another. "You know, it's your honeymoon and all."

"I have a student teacher who will replace me," smiled the teacher.

"Stop asking Sir Hiiragizawa! He must be really nervous now. He'll be taking his finals exams tonight!" someone said loudly.

Boisterous laughter.

"Have you already reviewed thoroughly, Sir? The test would take all night," laughed one student.

Eriol chuckled. "Why, yes, I did. I prepared for it my whole life." He grinned at Tomoyo. "Tonight will be the best performance of my life."

She blushed. "Eriol-kun!"

"I'm going to play the piano."

"Oh."

She hugged the letter closer to her heart. She knew that Kaho was also happy.

"I love you, Eagle," she whispered to her husband.

"I love you even more so, Nightingale." He gave her a light kiss before hugging her tight.

In the letter, Kaho simply wrote:

I'm sorry for borrowing Eriol from you for a few years. I'm just happy that you have him back – you always had him. He was yours all along. He loved you since the day he met you.

_Be happy. Your happiness is mine too._

The end 


End file.
